# Can You Ship a Gift to a P.O. Box? USPS Yes, UPS No, FedEx Only by Ground Economy, and If It Doesn't Fit

Yes, by USPS: "Only the Postal Service is entitled to provide delivery to a PO Box" (USPS Publication 28). UPS's English FAQ for the Netherlands says it does "not deliver to P.O. boxes," and FedEx reaches them only by Ground Economy. Too big? USPS leaves a pickup slip or uses a locker. Personalized Gifts Delivered ships P.O. boxes by USPS.

*We sell a $35 logo mug gift box, printed, packed and shipped to each person's address. This guide covers the other options too.*

**Key facts**
- **USPS:** "Only the Postal Service is entitled to provide delivery to a PO Box" ([USPS Publication 28, §285](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_040.htm), read Oct 29, 2026).
- **UPS:** "We only ship to a valid street address, and do not deliver to P.O. boxes" ([UPS's English FAQ for the Netherlands](https://www.ups.com/nl/en/support/shipping-support), read Oct 29, 2026; UPS's US support page has no P.O. box FAQ).
- **FedEx:** "The only way to deliver to domestic P.O. boxes is to select FedEx Ground Economy. This is a contract-only service" ([FedEx FAQs](https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/faqs.html)).
- **USPS sizes:** P.O. box openings run from 3 × 5.5 in (XS) to 12 × 22.5 in (XL), and USPS gives the depth of most boxes as 14.75 in ([USPS](https://www.usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm)).
- **Too big for the box:** the holder gets a slip for the counter, or the package goes in a parcel locker ([USPS](https://www.usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm)).
- **Personalized Gifts Delivered:** P.O. boxes are accepted (they ship by USPS). Our gift box ships in a 9 × 9 × 9 in carton, $35 per box, delivered.

## Which Carriers Deliver to a P.O. Box?

Only one carrier puts packages into P.O. boxes. USPS's addressing standard puts it plainly: "Only the Postal Service is entitled to provide delivery to a PO Box" ([USPS Publication 28, §285](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_040.htm)).

| Carrier | Gets a package to a P.O. box? | In the carrier's own words |
|---|---|---|
| USPS | Yes | P.O. boxes are USPS's own service; packages that don't fit get a slip or a locker ([USPS](https://www.usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm)) |
| UPS | No | "We only ship to a valid street address, and do not deliver to P.O. boxes." ([UPS's English FAQ for the Netherlands](https://www.ups.com/nl/en/support/shipping-support)) |
| FedEx Ground Economy | Yes, contract-only | "The only way to deliver to domestic P.O. boxes is to select FedEx Ground Economy." ([FedEx](https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/faqs.html)) |
| FedEx Home Delivery | No | "No, FedEx Home Delivery can't deliver to P.O. boxes at this time." ([FedEx](https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/home-delivery.html)) |

UPS adds, on the same English FAQ for the Netherlands: "If a shipper uses a P.O. Box address, the recipient's phone number must be included on the label."

## What Happens If the Gift Doesn't Fit in the P.O. Box?

USPS lists five P.O. box sizes. The opening is what decides whether a package goes in:

| USPS size | Opening | Our 9 in carton fits the opening? |
|---|---|---|
| XS (Size 1) | 3 × 5.5 in | No |
| S (Size 2) | 5 × 5.5 in | No |
| M (Size 3) | 5.5 × 11 in | No |
| L (Size 4) | 11 × 11 in | Yes, by size |
| XL (Size 5) | 12 × 22.5 in | Yes, by size |

Sizes from [USPS](https://www.usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm), which gives the depth of most boxes as 14.75 in and adds: "All sizes not available in all locations."

When a package doesn't fit, USPS says the box holder will either:
- "Get a slip to pick them up from the counter during normal business hours"
- "Get your package from a secure parcel locker (including USPS® Smart Lockers at select locations) at your convenience"

So a gift to an XS, S or M box means a pickup for the person you're thanking: at the counter during the Post Office's hours, or from a parcel locker where there is one.

**Packages that need a signature** follow their own rule: "For deliveries that require a signature, we'll leave a delivery notice inside your PO Box, and you'll go to the counter to sign for and pick up your package. If you sign up for the free Signature on File service, we'll leave the item in your PO Box" ([USPS](https://www.usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm)).

## What Is USPS Street Addressing, and Does It Let UPS Deliver?

Some Post Offices let box holders use the Post Office's street address with their box number. USPS: "With Street Addressing (if available), you have the option of using the street address of your Post Office location, combined with your PO Box number, as your mailing address. This lets you receive packages from private carriers (such as UPS, FedEx, DHL, and Amazon), as long as they comply with USPS mailing standards" ([USPS](https://www.usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm)).

USPS Publication 28 describes the format: the Post Office street address, "along with the PO Box number preceded by a "#" sign or "UNIT" designation" ([Publication 28, §284](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_039.htm)). USPS's PO Boxes page offers Street Addressing "subject to availability and restrictions" ([USPS](https://www.usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm)), so whether a box has it depends on its Post Office. If a recipient gives you a street address with a "#" or "UNIT" number, use it exactly as they wrote it.

## How Do I Write a P.O. Box Address on a Gift?

USPS's addressing standard sets three rules worth knowing:

- **The format:** "The Post Office Box address on a mailpiece must be standardized as follows: PO BOX ##" ([Publication 28, §281](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_036.htm)).
- **Other names for a box:** "PO Box addresses often appear with the word CALLER, FIRM CALLER, BIN, LOCKBOX, or DRAWER. Change these to PO BOX" ([§283](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_038.htm)).
- **A street address and a box on one label:** "place the intended delivery address on the line immediately above the city, state, and ZIP+4 Code. Normally, this is the Post Office Box address" ([§215](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_005.htm)).

A private mailbox at a shipping store is not a P.O. box: Publication 28 says "The words POST OFFICE BOX or PO BOX and the private mailbox number cannot be used on the Delivery Address Line" for those ([§285](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_040.htm)).

On a Personalized Gifts Delivered address list, the box goes in the Address Line 1 column, like a street ([the client address spreadsheet template](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/how-it-works/client-address-spreadsheet-template)).

## Can a Client Gift List Mix P.O. Boxes and Street Addresses?

Yes: one Personalized Gifts Delivered order can hold both. Each row is its own box, shipped to its own address, and P.O. boxes are accepted (they ship by USPS). The order page flags any row we can't ship to, so you can fix it or take it out before you pay.

Ships within 2 business days of a complete order (your design, your address list and payment). Ships by USPS Ground Advantage or UPS Ground, with tracking, and usually arrives 2–5 business days after it ships. Delivery dates are carrier estimates, not guarantees, and run slower in mid-December.

When your boxes ship, you get one email with a spreadsheet of recipient, ship date, carrier, tracking number and $35 per box, so you can see which boxes went by USPS. How the whole list works: [send a gift to every client at their own address](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/how-it-works/ship-to-each-client).

## What Sending These Yourself Takes

Mailing a gift to a P.O. box yourself means USPS: a USPS label or a trip to the counter, for every box. For a list, that's the smallest part of the work. By our estimate, 25 logo mug gift boxes take about 9 hours of hands-on work (finding a mug printer, about 8 separate supply orders, labels, cards, packing at about 8 minutes a box, drop-off and tracking), plus a week or more waiting for supplies. Priced from retail supply packs, they come to about $38 a box with USPS counter postage (about $34 with commercial postage), with $1,192.84 paid up front for the mugs, the retail supply packs and 25 postage labels, with leftovers, as of Oct 29, 2026 ([DIY vs ordering](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering)). Per box, that's about even with our $35, before your time.

## What to Know Before You Order

- **Where we ship.** P.O. boxes in the lower 48 states and Washington, DC, except Texas for now. We don't ship to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other US territories, APO/FPO or international addresses, P.O. boxes there included.
- **A pickup trip.** A box too big for the recipient's P.O. box waits at the counter or in a locker, per USPS's own rules above.
- **Ground only.** Every box ships by ground, so the order-by dates are the ones to use: Tuesday, December 15 for Christmas ([2026 order-by dates](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar/holiday-order-by-dates-2026)).
- **If an address goes wrong.** If a box arrives broken, send us a photo within 7 days of delivery and we'll reship it free. If a box goes astray because of an address on your list, we'll reship it to the corrected address for what the reship costs us, with no markup, and tell you the amount before we send it.

## Where Personalized Gifts Delivered Fits: P.O. Boxes and Street Addresses on One List

When some of the people on your list get their mail at a P.O. box, Personalized Gifts Delivered takes those rows as they are and ships them by USPS, while every other row ships to its street address. Each box is the same finished gift: an 11 oz mug with your logo printed small (or a photo or a few words for a personal gift), Ghirardelli hot cocoa and 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles inside, packed by hand in foam, in a matte-black gift box with a magnetic lid, with your printed card on the lid. It's $35 per box, delivered, with no minimum, and one email lists every tracking number when the boxes ship. More on the area: [where we ship](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/how-it-works/where-we-ship).

[See the custom logo mug gift box, shipped to each address on your list](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/custom-logo-mug-gift-box).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can you ship a gift box to a P.O. box?

A gift box can go to a P.O. box when it ships by USPS: USPS Publication 28 says "Only the Postal Service is entitled to provide delivery to a PO Box." UPS's English FAQ for the Netherlands says "We only ship to a valid street address, and do not deliver to P.O. boxes," and FedEx says the only way to reach a domestic P.O. box is FedEx Ground Economy, a contract-only service.

### What happens if a package doesn't fit in the P.O. box?

USPS says that when a package doesn't fit, the box holder will either "Get a slip to pick them up from the counter during normal business hours" or get it from a secure parcel locker, including USPS Smart Lockers at select locations.

### Does UPS deliver to P.O. boxes?

No: USPS Publication 28 says "Only the Postal Service is entitled to provide delivery to a PO Box," and UPS's English FAQ for the Netherlands says "We only ship to a valid street address, and do not deliver to P.O. boxes." A P.O. box holder whose Post Office offers USPS Street Addressing can receive UPS packages at the Post Office's street address with the box number.

### Does FedEx deliver to P.O. boxes?

Only through FedEx Ground Economy: FedEx says "The only way to deliver to domestic P.O. boxes is to select FedEx Ground Economy. This is a contract-only service." FedEx Home Delivery can't deliver to P.O. boxes.

### Who ships a gift box with a card to a P.O. box, with no minimum?

Personalized Gifts Delivered accepts P.O. boxes and ships them by USPS: a $35 logo or personalized mug gift box with your printed card, shipping included and no minimum, to the lower 48 states and Washington, DC, except Texas for now.

### How do I write a P.O. box address?

USPS Publication 28 says a P.O. box address is standardized as "PO BOX ##", with the box number in place of ##; when a label carries both a street address and a box, the delivery address goes "on the line immediately above the city, state, and ZIP+4 Code."

## Sources

1. USPS, [PO Boxes](https://www.usps.com/manage/po-boxes.htm) (sizes, larger packages, Street Addressing), read Oct 29, 2026.
2. USPS, Publication 28, Postal Addressing Standards: [§215 Dual Addresses](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_005.htm), [§281 Format](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_036.htm), [§283 Designations](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_038.htm), [§284 PO Box Street Addressing](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_039.htm), [§285 Private Mailbox Addresses](https://pe.usps.com/text/pub28/28c2_040.htm), read Oct 29, 2026.
3. UPS, [Shipping Support FAQ](https://www.ups.com/nl/en/support/shipping-support) (its English FAQ for the Netherlands; "Can I use UPS to ship to a P.O. Box?"), read Oct 29, 2026.
4. FedEx, [U.S. and International Shipping FAQs](https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/faqs.html) and [FedEx Home Delivery](https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/home-delivery.html), read Oct 29, 2026.
5. Personalized Gifts Delivered, [DIY mug gift box vs ordering one](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering) (supply and postage prices as of Oct 29, 2026).